Big news from Comcast yesterday that looks to signal a potentially huge shake up in tv news and possibly signal the beginning of the end for MSNBC
Comcast were primarily an internet and cable service provider, but bought NBC Universal, the owner of the new Peacock service, about 15 years ago. This covered film, network TV (NBC) and a large collection of cable networks that generate money primarily from fees paid to them by cable companies who carry the networks. This latter category is what is most squeezed by streaming as the more people drop cable the less viable these networks become. Right now they are still good business but everyone that owns them knows they have no future and appear to just be holding their breath trying to squeeze as much money from it as they can before the model collapses.
Yesterday Comcast were the first company to make any sort of meaningful move to manage this transition into the new era. They made official they are spinning off a new company containing all those cable network brands so that someone else can figure out how to manage them in the streaming era while what is left of NBC Universal can manage its path into the streaming era. That spin off includes MSNBC, the most reliably left leaning news in the US (the home of Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes). Being included in the spin off by itself is a signal that the network is likely going to hit some rough times, but the bigger implication is that this will sever ties to the parent NBC news organization. Piggybacking off that parent org and being able to use its resources was critical to its business model and without that they are going to have a BIG hole to fill at the same time as they will be expected to start suffering revenue shortfalls. This is probably the beginning of the end.
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It seems a logical next step. Any outlets who offer independence, and an alternate (accurate) view to the post-truth march of the extreme right, are going to struggle, or be made to struggle.
The left is going to need to work out ways to get its message into the public sphere or the road back to power will be a very long one.
To be clear, this move has been rumored for a while based purely on Comcastâs challenge balancing the needs to move into a streaming first business model while not cannibalizing a currently succesful but withering part of their business. So I wouldnt interpret this as a Trump related hit on leftist news, but it has clear implications for the political era weâre now living in.
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I already think it is. The world is firmly in the grip of right wing media and influencers. I dont see how you turn that around no matter how much damage Trump government does. It will always be someone elseâs fault or in this case he simply wont allow anything that puts his presidency at risk and I include the next election in that.
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I think a big part is agreeing with parts of what Trump supposedly stood for became appealing as part of counter culture. If you didnt think about it too hard (representative of the overwhelming majority of Americans) it was fun and rebellious. Thatâs why youâve seen an explosion of athletes celebrating with the double jerk off dance.
The thing is you cannot be president and represent counter culture for very long. The whole âyeah, this vibe is better if I donât think about what he is really sayingâ doesnât stand up for very long against losing your health insurance, against the fact that mortgage rates are not coming down, against a resurgence of inflation and a Fed no longer interested in creating a âsoft landingâ resulting in widespread unemployment to âease the painâ.
Dems have real challenges figuring out their message and how to get it into peopleâs earholes, but I do have some hope of a fairly quick and sizeable rebound simply because of how incoherent a lot of the Trump support was in the first place.
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What young voters want for voting for Trump: better job prospects and fairer treatment by corporations
What young voters get for voting for Trump: Texas judge blocks Biden administration's rule expanding overtime pay : NPR
Trump incredulously promised to eliminate tax on overtime and it got loads of coverage from people who didnt believe heâd do it. Biden actually worked to get workers better overtime protection and was being fought by Trump judges, the exact same sort of judges Trump would nominate again is he got back in. No one who covered the âTrump is great on overtimeâ story seemed interested in this angle.
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The Republicans in the House in response to calls to release the Gaetz investigation: We dont investigate private citizens
The Republican Chair of the House Oversight Committee: âHunter is going to get itâ
https://x.com/atrupar/status/1859640396021891539
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This is not a Democracy
https://x.com/selinawangtv/status/1859618743506096482
For everything that is wrong in our politics you cannot start to meaningfully solve it without getting money out of the campaigns and properly managing in kind contributions. But you cannot do that if they generally so heavily one side who will fight tooth and nail to keep the firehose open.
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The State of GA set up a Maternal Mortality Committee to investigate the effects of its new abortion ban. They have shut it down due to a belief information was inappropriately shared with outside entities (propublica). They dont know who did it, how, or what was shared, but are responding by shutting down the entire committee to make sure it doesnt happen again.
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I wonder if the Biden administration would use its lame duck status to indulge in a little âif the President does it, itâs not illegalââŚ
Next freak, please stand up
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And heâs already resigned from Congress 
In a normal timeline failing like this over such an important nomination would be seen as a catastrophe for an incoming administration, a borderline vote of no confidence. Doubt weâll see anything like that sort of reaction
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I wonder if itâs just an attempt to get out of the spotlight so he doesnât face further jeopardy over his actionsâŚ
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Though I suppose he is needed as a senator sadly.
SoâŚwhat about this guy ?
He is not needed in congress and Dinesh would love it.
Or
On brand. Why not some Pizzagate ? Mike is your man.
If you want to be less serious and a bit more showman, what about
Too frivolous ?
Then what about someone who hits harder:
Now that would be a spectacle !
I mean, if you want to go all out, then I suppose:
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Those are all good thoughts. But I think you have to give it to Margie. I think she has the best under qualifications.
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AG Cthulhu looks over Barrâs work and thinks to itself âwow. that guy had no morals at allâ
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I humbly confess to you, my favoured priest and guide of my soul. IâŚIâŚI confess. I forgot Marjorie.
I swear to endevour to not make this particular sin again, but my friendâŚI am only a man and there are so many immates in Arkham Asylum. Iâll try to do better, but sometimes I fail. I beg you to beseech Godâs forgiveness on my behalf.
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This is such a perfect story of PitA democrats lifted up by a mainstream press who dislike actual democrats and really want them all to just admit that Republican arguments are better.
She won reelection in the house in a Trumpy district so has become a lighthouse for âwhat Dems can learn from the 2024 electionâ. All the lessons she wants to be taken are just Republican talking points madlibs - âyou talk down to working class people because 40% of babies have parents addicted to Fentanyl so you need to take the border seriously.â
It now turns out that one of her big stories, of Dems talking down to working class people by focusing on absurd regulations on child care not being allowed to peel fruit, is seemingly a lie.
https://x.com/NathanJRobinson/status/1859662555687551176
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